Washington Avenue Coalition / Memorial Park in Houston in Harris County, Texas — The American South (West South Central)
Houston Cemetery Company
Glenwood Cemetery is an early Texas example of the country cemetery plan first used in the eastern and northern United States in the 1830s. Directors selected property situated between Buffalo Bayou and Washington Avenue interspersed with springs and gullies to achieve the desired pastoral setting. The intended park-like landscape design is reflected in the rambling walks and drives that follow the curvilinear sections situated around a wooded glen and a bridge over a spring-fed gully. The beautiful setting drew Houstonians to Glenwood Cemetery as a place of relaxation and recreation prior to the 1899 establishment of Houston’s first public park, Sam Houston Park.
The Houston Cemetery Company reorganized as the Glenwood Cemetery Association in 1904, and the Association was succeeded by Glenwood Cemetery, Inc., in 1969. The Glenwood Cemetery Historic Preservation foundation was formed in 1999 to preserve the historic heritage of the monuments and grounds of this important Houston landmark.
Erected 2009 by Texas Historical Commission. (Marker Number 15714.)
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Cemeteries & Burial Sites. A significant historical date for this entry is May 12, 1871.
Location. 29° 46.104′ N, 95° 23.177′ W. Marker is in Houston, Texas, in Harris County. It is in Washington Avenue Coalition / Memorial Park. Marker is at the intersection of Washington Avenue and Custus Street, on the right when traveling east on Washington Avenue. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 2525 Washington Avenue, Houston TX 77007, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Caspar Braun (about 600 feet away, measured in a direct line); Eugene Thomas Heiner (about 700 feet away); James Robert Cade (about 800 feet away); Darius Gregg (approx. 0.2 miles away); Belle Sherman Kendall (approx. 0.2 miles away); Anson Jones (approx. 0.2 miles away); William Gammell (approx. 0.2 miles away); James S. and Alfred T. Lucas (approx. ¼ mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Houston.
Additional commentary.
1. An Astounding Cemetery
Glenwood Cemetery is the resting place for some of Houston’s most notable movers and shakers, including the magnate Howard Hughes.
There are several mammoth burial sites. One has, among other things, an obelisk about one fifth as tall as the Washington Monument.
Cemetery grounds are the most valuable real estate in the U.S., except for a penthouse in New York City. A plot in Glenwood Cemetery costs as much as much as $50,000 for a 30-square-foot plot. That's $1,666 per square foot. 30 square feet is smaller then 8'x4' foot square, barely large enough to dig a hole to lower a casket into. A plot in Glenwood can cost more than 1000 Main, a downtown Houston skyscraper that sold for a record $440 million in April 2015.
— Submitted January 7, 2020, by Jim Evans of Houston, Texas.
Credits. This page was last revised on February 1, 2023. It was originally submitted on September 4, 2018, by Brian Anderson of Humble, Texas. This page has been viewed 231 times since then and 11 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on September 4, 2018, by Brian Anderson of Humble, Texas. 3, 4. submitted on January 7, 2020, by Jim Evans of Houston, Texas. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.